(KSDK Sports) -- Our partners, USA Today Sports, is quoting a Associated Press report that Lance Armstrong has apologized to his Livestrong charity staff before beginning his interview with television talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Brent Schrotenboer of USA TODAY Sports reported early his morning that Armstong's admitting to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, is apart of a calculated plan to rehabilitate his image and pave the way for a comeback in public life.

The interview is scheduled to tape Monday at his home in Austin, Texas, and will air Thursday on the Oprah Winfrey Network. USA TODAY Sports first reported Friday that Armstrong planned to make a general admission in the interview while avoiding specific details.

Armstrong, 41, stepped down from Livestrong and was dropped by his sponsors after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a huge file of detailed doping evidence against him in October. He was also stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

His strategy is long-term. Armstrong does not expect to regain sponsors any time soon by confessing. He also doesn't expect to resume his athletic career any time soon after being banned for life. He doesn't even expect to sign a book deal right away, though there will be offers.